R.I.P John Prine

Covid-19 took another musician. This time it was the legendary John Prine an influential and two time Grammy Award winning singer songwriter. If you like Bonnie Raitt he wrote this song..

                                          Bonnie and John "Angel from Montgomery"

Who knows maybe I will run into him in heaven and join him for a vodka and ginger ale at the Tree of Forgiveness. "When I Get to Heaven"

"Hello in There"

Here he is with Iris DeMent "In Spite of Ourselves"

So many songs. Please feel free to leave your favorites in the comments.

"It's A Big Ole Goofy World"

Thanks for the songs, may you rest in peace!

                                           

Monday's Music Moves Me: Farm Aid

Today's theme for Monday's Music Moves Me is artists/bands that have performed at Farm Aid. The festival started in September of 1985 and this year's festival is on September 21, 2019. If you want more information on the charity, festival and how you can help visit their site.

                                                  Neil Young and Waylon Jennings perform "Get Back to the Country" at the original Farm Aid

Willie Nelson performs "Always on my Mind" at last year's Farm Aid

John Mellencamp performs "Small Town" in 1987

Dave Matthews Band "Crash Into Me" from Farm Aid 1997

Neil Young "Heart of Gold" from the first one

Bonnie Raitt and John Prine from Farm Aid 1986

Hope you enjoy and I will see you soon!

R.I.P Oliver Mtukudzi

I just learned this week that Oliver Mtukudzi passed away last month. I found at when Bonnie Raitt mentioned it when I saw her in concert opening up for James Taylor. You are probably saying who is Oliver Mtukudzi. Per Wikipedia "he was considered to have been Zimbabwe's most renowned and recognized cultural icon of all time." I know of him and was able to see him perform thanks to Bonnie Raitt.

Oliver wrote the beautiful song "Hear Me Lord" which Bonnie Raitt recorded on her Silver Lining release. The first time I saw Bonnie was at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival (Jazzfest) shortly after that album was released. Anyway she brought him on stage something like this...

Here he performs a beautiful song "Neria"

Not all of his songs are in English nor should they be. 

Here he is with Ladysmith Black Mambazo "Hello My Baby"

Here he performs "Zimbabwe" with Joss Stone..

Hopefully his songs will live on. He will be missed by his fans, musicians and families. He will also be missed by Zimbabwe.

Ten Concert Game: The Blues

Nine artists/groups and one that is a lie that I have seen in concert. I'm doing mine by genres, starting with The Blues.

1) B.B. King

2) Hubert Sumlin

3) Buddy Guy

4) John Lee Hooker

5) Taj Mahal

6) Robert Cray

7) Albert Collins 

8) Keb' Mo

9) Bonnie Raitt

10) James Cotten

Stealing a facebook game and turning it into a blog post. However, with this I get to expand and add music. Please put your guess in the comments. Winner will get their own post.

Mike's Pirate Radio

Well I decided to start a Pirate Radio page on facebook. I got the idea from Devon Allman who has a similar page on facebook. I share a lot of music on this blog. The difference is I will share music from musicians I know, local artists from everywhere, some obscure artists, some mainstream, and a lot of different genres.

I take suggestions, posts, promote gigs, I hope it turns into a bunch of fun! Here is the link to the page.
I have Americana music from Delnora Reed, Country Blues from Duffy Kane, rocking blues from Bobby Parker, and African artist Oliver Mtukudzi performing a song Bonnie Raitt had a hit with!

This is just day one more to come! However, feel free to join the fun!

Happy Birthday John and Robert

Today I am going to celebrate two birthdays on my blog. John Hiatt turns 61 and Robert Plant turns 65. I thought I would pass on Plant since I covered his concert this summer and I had just posted about Led Zeppelin's birthday but I thought 65 was quite a milestone.John Hiatt is a great songwriter. The best way to celebrate these artists is through their music so sit back and enjoy..

Here is John Hiatt with Sonny Landreth (one of the best slide guitarists on the planet) performing a song B.B. King and Eric Clapton made famous "Riding with the King"

We will start the Robert Plant celebration with "In the Mood"

This song is perhaps my favorite John Hiatt song "Have A Little Faith In Me"

Yes this is a cover song, here is Robert Plant from his Honeydripper days.."Sea of Love"

Here is John Hiatt with a song you might know "Perfectly Good Guitar"

Here Robert Plant covers the beautiful "Song of the Siren" from his Dreamland project...

Here is John Hiatt performing "Thing Called Love" with the great Bonnie Raitt...

Stepping away from the covers with Robert Plant here is "Ship of Fools"

Both artists may be in their 60s but literally I could keep adding songs from both of them all day. I could go back to Roberts pre-Zeppelin days, or the Led Zeppelin days, continue on his solo years, I didn't even touch on his Alison Krauss project, or his new Band of Joy, there is simply so much. John Hiatt has written songs performed by Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Jimmy Buffett and many more. I shared a few songs but trust me he has  written so many more gems. I thank them both for their music, I look forward to what music they might still create, and I wish them both a Happy Birthday! 

Happy Birthday Fender Stratocaster

Today in music history May 15, 1954 the Fender Stratocaster was officially released. One of the most popular guitars ever made and often copied.

Here is a video comparing two 1954 guitars...

Here is Buddy Guy playing a Fender Stratocaster, live in concert (photo copyrighted by me, Mike Spain)

Buddy Guy is probably the musician who should have influenced my liking of the Stratocaster.  But this guy is the one wh really turned me onto this guitar...Jeff Beck

This guy probably turned the whole world onto Stratocasters...

Of course there is this guy as well...Eric Clapton. here he is talking guitars..

Here is a look into the man behind Fender, Leo Fender's office...

Okay I don't want to be sexist so here is Bonnie Raitt doing her thing on guitar...

Here is how one is made...

Here is another Strat mand David Gilmour..

okay I have to put Stevie Ray Vaughan on this list as well

From blues, rock to country here is Brad Paisley...

and contemporary here is John Mayer...

The thing about a Fender Stratocaster I could go on and on! Happy Birthday Stratocaster!

Kennedy Center Honors Music 2012

You know this year's Kennedy Center Honors was on my radar. Led Zeppelin and Buddy Guy being honored. The show alone would be interesting with one of Late Night Televisions best in David Letterman, actor Dustin Hoffman, and ballerina Natalia Makarov.

If you missed the show on PBS check it out on youtube. No none of the honorees performed. However, Tracy Chapman, Jimmy Vaughan, Gary Clark Jr, Bonnie Raitt, Beth Hart, and Jeff Beck played tribute to Buddy Guy. It is hard to say Led Zeppelin is my favorite band of all time, but they are at least the most influential band on my music taste. Now they were honored, I am a big fan of Buddy Guy, and then they add my favorite guitarist performing in Jeff Beck.

During the Led Zeppelin tribute part of the show. They had The Foo Fighters, Lenny Kravitz, Kid Rock, and Heart. Heart performed with Jason Bonham on drums and they brought the house down with their performance of "Stairway to Heaven." They even added a choir to the song.

Here is Lenny Kravitz...

That is just on the music side. Add in Tina Fey and Robert DeNiro and others and you have one fantastic show. Something to check out...